This summer we held our first-ever Volunteer Appreciation event, which gave us the opportunity to celebrate and recognize our volunteers.  This was an exciting event with over 100 people in attendance, activities and guest speakers.

Pictured Below CAFB Volunteer Coordinator Nicole Durant  welcomes volunteers to the event:

President and CEO Lynn Brantley spoke to our volunteers and shared her own history sorting salvage in the warehouse.  Board member Pete Jones of Wachovia shared words of gratitude to thank volunteers for helping the food bank’s operations and programs.

We were fortunate to have Operation Frontline Chef Sean Thomas give a cooking demonstration of yogurt parfaits to audience members. Long-time ambassador volunteer and now part-time staff member Mary Dancy shared her experience volunteering with the food bank. We even had a packing contest between two long-term volunteers, Ryan Lore and Laura Williams, to showcase our warehouse volunteer opportunities.

Below Chef Sean Thomas prepares yogurt parfaits to demonstrate the Operation Frontline program:

What’s more, we gave out awards to outstanding volunteers including:

• Ambassador Volunteer of the Year: Marjorie Share
• Corporate Group of the Year: Deloitte Consulting, LLP
• Group Coordinator of the Year: Kristen Erbelding (Center for Student Missions)
• Operation Frontline Chef Volunteer of the Year: Monica Thomas
• Operation Frontline Class Assistant Volunteer of the Year: Courtney Anderson
• Operation Frontline Nutritionist of the Year: Amanda Schmid
• Operation Frontline Rookie Volunteer of the Year: Sean Thomas
• Recurring Group of the Year: Gospel Rescue Ministries
• Volunteer of the Year: Susan MacKnight
• Volunteer Group of the Year: The Monroe Family (pictured below)

Thank you to all of the volunteers who attended and to all of our volunteers who have come throughout the year to help the food bank reach its mission!  We look forward to working with all of our volunteers and always welcome new ones!  Please visit this page to sign up and find out more information on our volunteer opportunities.

The Volunteer Programs department is always looking for new ways to create more opportunities for volunteers and improve the volunteer experience. This is why we created our Weekend Leader program this spring. Weekend Leaders are trained volunteers that come out to the food bank one Saturday each month to help lead volunteer groups.

This program launched in March, and we have brought on five volunteers to serve as Weekend Leaders. The Weekend Leaders role is to serve alongside a staff member to lead orientations, direct volunteers, and help with overall logistics. These individuals get a behind-the-scenes view of our department, and get to help us on our busiest day of the week.

So far, having the Weekend Leaders has allowed us to increase productivity on the weekends and streamline the volunteer process. What’s even more exciting is that our Weekend Leaders have enjoyed their experiences so much, they have all signed up to come out for a 2^nd, 3^rd or even 4^th time! Below is a picture of Chi Pang Cheung, one of our first Weekend Leaders who has been out to help three times over the last two months.

We are currently seeking more Weekend Leaders to help us with our Saturday volunteers. Its very easy to get involved – just visit our Ambassador Volunteer website to read the full job description. The next step is filling out the Ambassador Volunteer application, and then a member of the Volunteer Programs team will call you to set everything up. We hope to see you out in our warehouse soon!

Last year, our Mobile Food Pantries distributed 6.8 million pounds of fresh produce to low-income seniors, families, and individuals. Many of these people do not have regular access to fresh produce or grocery stores, which is why the Mobile Food Pantry program is so important. This spring, we are expanding the program to include dry milk, pantry staples, and USDA products in addition to fresh produce. We need your help to make this happen!

Community members at a Mobile Food Pantry:

Mobile Food Pantries occur during the weekday and last two hours at various sites throughout D.C. We are looking for volunteers to commit to at least one distribution per month. Volunteers will register clients to receive non-perishable foods, answer questions, and help distribute food. This is a great way to get out in the community and interact with recipients of our programs.

If you are interested in becoming a Mobile Food Pantry volunteer, you can view the full job description here. Just fill out an Ambassador Volunteer application and submit it to volunteer@capitalareafoodbank.org. Once we receive the application, we’ll contact you to set up your first Mobile Food Pantry. Thank you for helping us expand our program and serve more people!

We will be open Saturday from 9am – 12pm and 1pm – 4pm to pack for our Weekend Bag and Senior Brown Bags programs. Our Senior Brown Bag program provides nearly 2,200 low-income seniors with food every month. The Weekend Bags program sends 5-7 pounds of shelf stable food home with children every Friday to supplement their family’s food for the weekend. Patricia Massey, a coordinator for the program, stated “children are especially in need since schools have been closed.”

It’s easy to help. Just email volunteer@capitalareafoodbank.org or call 202-526-5344, ext. 241 to sign up. You will receive a confirmation and directions upon receipt of your call or email. Thank you for your support!